26-58018 Laboratory Wind Wall System

RFP 26-58018 Laboratory Wind Wall for Unmanned Aircraft Complex Flow Testing

The National Research Council of Canada’s - Aerospace Research Centre (NRC AERO) has a requirement for the design, fabrication, delivery, and commissioning of a Laboratory Wind Wall System (The System).
The System will support NRC’s Drone and Flight Autonomy Laboratory (DFAL) in research focused on the performance, control, and safety of mid‑size unmanned aircraft (drones) operating in complex aerodynamic environments, such as ship airwakes and urban wind fields, across all Canadian seasons.
The System must provide controlled, repeatable, and configurable airflow conditions for testing unmanned aircraft in free flight.

BACKGROUND:
The aerodynamic performance and stability of unmanned aircraft operating in complex wind environments are not yet fully understood, particularly across different propulsion configurations. NRC’s research program requires a large‑scale Wind Wall System capable of generating controlled wind and turbulence conditions for outdoor free‑flight testing of mid‑size unmanned aircraft.
The System will form part of a new outdoor test capability at NRC’s Drone and Flight Autonomy Laboratory (DFAL) located at the NRC Mirabel site. This facility will enable the evaluation of aircraft systems and Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) developed technologies under controlled aerodynamic conditions representative of operational environments in Canada, including ship airwakes and urban wind fields.

DEFINITIONS:

Wind Wall
A vertically stacked array of fans that generate a horizontal wind flow-field exiting from one vertical face. The overall Wind Wall dimensions in this document refer to the exit face width and exit face height of the fan array. The Wind Wall depth includes only the fans and supporting structure (no airflow contractions or surrounding building) to minimize the System footprint.

Marketable Wind Wall System
A finished, polished version that meets quality standards, is compliant with regulations, and is ready for sale at scale or customized.

Turbulence Intensity
Turbulence intensity refers to local turbulence intensity for which the reference wind speed is measured locally.

1.0 REQUIREMENT:

The Offeror must design, manufacture, deliver, and commission a turnkey Laboratory Wind Wall System that meets or exceeds the technical and operational requirements defined in this Statement of Requirement (SOR). The System must be capable of generating controlled, repeatable, and complex airflow conditions suitable for unmanned aircraft free flight testing.
1.1 Technical Requirements/Specifications

1.1.1 Wind Wall System
i. The System must include an open‑jet test section to allow for free‑flight testing of aircraft.
ii. The Wind Wall jet face must have nominal dimensions of 5 m × 5 m (± 0.25 m tolerance).
iii. The bottom of the jet face must be positioned 3 m above ground level, and the center of the test region must be 5.5 m above ground.
iv. The Test Plane (TP) must be located 5 – 6 m downstream of the Wind Wall, with a minimum of 4 m x 4 m of uniform jet flow.
v.  The design must allow for an optional expansion of the Wind Wall to 7 m × 7 m (± 0.25 m in width and height), as described in Section 1.1.6 Optional Expansion Scope.
- The bottom of the Wind Wall must remain 3 m above ground level.
- The increase in width must be symmetric about the lateral centre of the Wind Wall exit face, and the height extension must occur upward from the top edge of the existing structure.
- The additional fan modules required for the optional configuration must be equivalent in size, capacity, and performance to those used in the 5 m × 5 m base Wind Wall system.
- The optional expansion must be structurally and functionally compatible with the base Wind Wall foundation, controls, and safety systems.

1.1.2 Wind Wall Airflow Performance
a. The maximum axial wind speed at the TP must be 21–22 m/s, with maximum axial turbulence intensity of ≤ 7%.
b. The System must provide adjustable turbulence intensity at the TP ranging from
7% to 25% in the streamwise component, while maintaining a maximum wind speed of ≥ 15 m/s.
c. The minimum axial wind speed at the TP must be 1 m/s.
d. The fan array design must support gradients of 2 m/s per metre (horizontal or vertical) and integral length scales of 2–50 m.
e. The System must achieve ramp‑up acceleration ≥ 10 m/s² and ramp‑down deceleration ≤ −5 m. The swirl number at the TP must be ≤ 0.5 m/s².
f. Each fan must support independent and synchronized control, with incremental speed changes ≤ 0.2 m/s.

1.1.3 Equipment and System Requirements
The System must:
• operate without performance derating from 0 °C to +30 °C;
• have minimal performance derating from −20 °C to +30 °C;
• be suitable for cold starts (−20 °C to +20 °C) for ≥ 800 cycles;
• be storable from −20 °C to +60 °C;
• be designed, constructed, and tested so it can operate normally and safely in light rain or snow conditions, without loss of performance, safety, or durability, and must meet at least IP 34 protection standards;
• have a minimum operational lifespan of 20,000 hours;
• be delivered as a turnkey solution, fully operational upon commissioning and compliant with all specified requirements.

The System’s high‑voltage components (> 750 V) must be enclosed in an IP 65‑rated cabinet.
The Wind Wall electrical system must be compatible with standard North American industrial electrical systems operating at 60 Hz. The Offeror must specify the required electrical service for the system, including voltage, phase configuration, total connected load (kW), apparent power (kVA), and power factor at full load.

Where the proposed system requires a voltage different from typical Canadian building distribution systems (for example, 600/347 VAC or 208/120 VAC), the Offeror must provide the necessary transformers, converters, or other power conditioning equipment as part of the Wind Wall System.

The Offeror must provide the estimated peak electrical demand and total connected load for the Wind Wall System as part of the proposal so that NRC can assess compatibility with the available site electrical infrastructure.

All electrical equipment supplied as part of the Wind Wall System must be certified by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) or by another certification body accredited for use in Canada and acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction.
The electrical installation and equipment must comply with the Canadian Electrical Code (CSA C22.1) and all applicable provincial regulations.

1.1.4 Structural Support and Grade-Level Surface Interface Requirements

a. The grade level foundation and support framing must be supplied and installed by the Offeror. The design must be structurally engineered to safely withstand all static loads (including system weight and terrestrial wind conditions) and dynamic loads generated during wind-on testing under all anticipated operational conditions.
b. The Wind Wall support framing must be mechanically anchored to the grade level foundation (pad) using fastening and reinforcement methods appropriate for the loading conditions described in paragraph (a).
c. The Offeror must ensure that all foundation, structural, and anchoring details comply with applicable Canadian building codes, engineering standards, and site-specific geotechnical recommendations.
d. All design calculations, load assessments, and anchoring specifications must be sealed by a licensed professional engineer and included in the Offeror’s submission for NRC review and approval prior to fabrication and installation.
e. The structure of the Wind Wall system must:
• be self supporting and capable of being anchored to an engineered foundation; and
• comply with the wind load requirements of the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) and any other applicable codes and standards.

1.1.5 Operational Requirements

• Control Software Compatibility: The control software must be compatible with common operating systems such as, but not limited to, Microsoft Windows 10 or 11 (Professional or Enterprise editions) and current Linux distributions (for example, Ubuntu LTS, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, or Debian). Other platforms may be considered if full functionality, interoperability, and technical support are demonstrated.
• Information Security and Data Protection: The System must adhere to recognized information security and data protection practices to safeguard operational and research data. All communications and data transfers must use secure, encrypted protocols (such as HTTPS, SFTP, or TLS 1.2 or higher) to ensure confidentiality and integrity.
• Data Output and Synchronization: Wind profile output data must be GPS timestamped.
The software must support an external trigger for synchronized data logging and must allow automation, storage, and repetition of Test Plane (TP) wind profiles for consistent experimental conditions.
• System Reliability and Redundancy: The system must allow continued operation in the event of an individual fan failure without compromising overall airflow control or test stability.
• Safety Controls: An emergency stop system must be installed at the operator location, providing immediate system shutdown capability in accordance with applicable electrical and mechanical safety standards.

1.1.6 Optional Expansion Scope
The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) reserves the right to exercise an option to obtain a larger Wind Wall system at the time of contract award or during the contract period by way of a contract amendment.

a. Scope of the Option
• The design of the base Wind Wall must allow for an optional expansion to 7 m × 7 m (± 0.25 m in width and height).
• The bottom of the Wind Wall must remain 3 m above ground level in both the base and expanded configurations.
• The increase in width must be symmetric about the lateral center of the Wind Wall exit face, and the height extension must occur upward from the top edge of the existing structure.
• The additional fan modules required for the optional configuration must be equivalent in size, capacity, and performance to those used in the 5 m × 5 m base Wind Wall system.
• The optional expansion must be structurally and functionally compatible with the base Wind Wall foundation, support framing, controls, power distribution, and safety systems.
• The expanded system must maintain equivalent design, safety, and performance standards as the base Wind Wall system, with proportional scaling of structural and control components.
• The optional configuration must be capable of achieving wind speeds exceeding 21 m/s and supporting applications consistent with small aviation testing and/or wind simulation in research environments.

b. Bidder Requirements
Bidders must include technical specifications and design drawings for the optional configuration and pricing details for the 7 m × 7 m Wind Wall in Annex Basis of Payment, Optional Table 1.
Pricing for the optional system must be identified separately from the base system pricing in the financial proposal.
Bidders must indicate any lead time, production schedule, or delivery considerations associated with the larger configuration.
The optional design must remain interoperable with the base system’s control software, data interfaces, and safety features.

c. Contractual Option
The NRC may, at its sole discretion, exercise this option in whole or in part at the time of contract award or at a later date during the contract period.
Exercising the option will be subject to the same terms and conditions as the base contract, except where otherwise specified and agreed upon in writing.
The Offeror must honour the proposed pricing and delivery commitments for the optional configuration for a period of up to 16 months following contract award.

2.0 WARRANTY AND SUPPORT:
• Minimum one (1) year warranty covering all parts and labour.
• Offeror must provide technical support (phone and email) for the duration of the warranty.

3.0 MAINTENANCE AND HARDWARE SUPPORT:
The Offeror must provide hardware support throughout the warranty period, including:
• Replacement of defective components;
• Troubleshooting and repair assistance;
• Access to a technical support team by phone or email;
• A detailed maintenance and service manual must be provided with the System.

4.0 TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION:
The Offeror must supply a comprehensive technical manual, including system diagrams, maintenance and troubleshooting procedures, and instructions for live and recorded data collection.

4.1 References
• National Building Code of Canada, latest edition;
• Applicable Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standards for electrical equipment and industrial control panels;
• Canadian Electrical Code (CSA C22.1), latest edition;
• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and European Norm (EN) (IEC/EN) standards applicable to electrical safety and Ingress Protection (IP) ratings.

5.0 DELIVERY ADDRESS:
National Research Council Canada
YMX Innovation Centre
9800 Rue Irénée-Vachon
Mirabel, Québec J7N 3C5 Canada

6.0 LANGUAGE OF WORK:
• All deliverables, including reports, documentation, and training materials, must be provided in both English and French, in accordance with the Official Languages Act.
• Meetings and communications will be conducted primarily in English, with French language support provided for stakeholders as required.

7.0 LOCATION OF WORK:
• Manufacturing of sub-assemblies: at the Offeror’s facilities.
• Final assembly and integration: at NRC’s Mirabel laboratory site adjacent to the wind wall foundation.
• For construction site access, if NRC visitor requirements apply during the assembly period, Persons Granted Access (PGA) requirements must be arranged prior to on-site work activities.

8.0 TRAVEL AND DELIVERY:
• All travel and delivery costs are to be included in the Offeror’s pricing.
• No travel reimbursement will be provided.
• Any additional travel must be pre approved in writing by the Project Authority and comply with the Government of Canada Travel Directive.